Judge Kevin Newsom begins his opinion for the court in Harris v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., 2020 WL 6816965 (11th Cir. Nov. 20, 2020), with the auspicious observation that this Engle case is “one of the last that we’re likely to see.” Correct or not, the comment evokes the long history in the Eleventh Circuit…
Month: November 2020
Summary Judgment for Defendants Affirmed in Securities Fraud Case
In Whitehead v. BBVA Compass Bank, 2020 WL 6536897 (11th Cir. Nov. 6, 2020), the Eleventh Circuit affirmed summary judgment in favor of the defendant bank and bank officer on the plaintiff’s claims for securities fraud. The plaintiff, an investor, claimed that the defendants wrongfully failed to inform him of the risks involved in acquiring…
Eleventh Circuit Bans Incentive Payments to Lead Plaintiffs in Class Actions
In what appears to be a first, the Eleventh Circuit recently held that federal law prohibits so-called “incentive payments” to class representatives, even as part of an agreed settlement. The court acknowledged that it was forging a new path in Johnson v. NPAS Solutions, LLC, 975 F.3d 1244, 1248–49 (11th Cir. 2020)—identifying errors that it…
Divided En Banc Court Dismisses FACTA Claims for Lack of Article III Standing
In Muransky v. Godiva Chocolatier, Inc., 2020 WL 6305084 (11th Cir. Oct. 28, 2020), a divided en banc court vacated the district court’s order approving a class-action settlement and directed that the case be dismissed because the plaintiff lacked standing sufficient to establish subject-matter jurisdiction. Muransky filed a putative class action against Godiva, alleging that…